The invention relates to air-pump structure that is particularly suited to serve certain auxiliary functions on an aircraft, such as the low-pressure loading of a limited supply system for potable water to serve the various lavatory and kitchen facilities of an aircraft.
Prior systems of the character indicated have relied on motor-driven reciprocating-piston pumps, which are inherently unbalanced and are a source of noise and wear, requiring relatively frequent maintenance, involving replacement of component parts as well as lubrication. In addition to noise and wear, these prior systems generate lubricant-laden dust, which coats the pump as well as the pump drive and any other adjacent structure, so that frequent cleaning is imperative. And of course, any lubricant needed for a piston-driven system is a source of at least some contamination of its delivered pressurized air.